Sim Sang-jung Decides to Resign Early as Party Leader... "We Must Start Party Reform"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, has expressed her intention to step down early from her position as party leader.

On the afternoon of the 17th, Sim held a national committee meeting at the National Assembly and stated, "My final duty as party leader is to support the party's innovation tasks and development strategies," adding, "I will shorten my term so that an early party election for new leadership can be held immediately after the innovation party congress at the end of July." Sim, who was elected party leader in July last year, has a term lasting until July next year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

She proposed the formation of an Innovation Committee, saying, "It is now time to start proactive and bold reforms within the party." Sim emphasized, "I propose the establishment of an Innovation Committee with independent executive authority to reconstruct the party's identity and prepare for new leadership changes. We must overcome, one by one, the setbacks in the party's identity caused by focusing on institutional reforms and the areas where we failed to meet the public's expectations."

She added, "Ironically, after the 21st general election, the entrenched two-party system in the National Assembly has been put to the test. Now, the Justice Party must prepare for a new fight."

Sim stated, "The party does not change just because the leader and the central party change. Both individuals and the organization must change together," and added, "If there were shortcomings during this general election process, I, as the leader, will take full responsibility. I now ask the Justice Party to focus on fierce innovation and opening the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.